New Trucking Technology That Could Help Reduce Crashes
Since 2009, trucking wreck fatalities and injuries have been on the rise with numbers reaching as high as 100,000 injuries per year and 4,000 fatalities per year.1 This increase has become more evident as fatal truck accidents fill the news. This June, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was involved in a trucking accident with a Walmart truck driver that killed one passenger and seriously injured the comedian and two other passengers. Earlier this week, a truck accident in Atlanta killed a motorcyclist.
Both passenger vehicle drivers and commercial truck drivers can be responsible for causing trucking accidents, so as a passenger vehicle driver it is important to drive safely around 18-wheelers and other larger commercial vehicles. This increase in truck wrecks has caused some companies in the trucking industry to respond with better training programs, more reasonable driving schedules, and even new technologies.
New Trucking Technologies to Combat Truck Accident Rise
Some trucking companies are doing more to reinforce driver training with telematics, a new tracking and reporting system. With telematics, companies can track and report various on-road behaviors such as hard braking, hard acceleration, seat belt utilization, and more. If a driver exhibits a certain number of red flags, they are immediately retrained on specific problem areas. This new technology not only regulates drivers and holds them to a higher standard, it also provides training for them in all areas where an opportunity for improvement exists.2
Trucking manufacturers Volvo and Mercedes-Benz are also working on new safety features for commercial trucks. Volvo is working on a system that will engage the truck’s brakes if it gets too close to other vehicles ahead of it as well as an anti-drift system that will alert with driver when the truck begins drifting lanes (and can even correct the drift). Mercedes-Benz is developing a fully autonomous truck that will require very little interaction with the driver. 3
To help reduce the risk of serious collisions, trucking companies and trucking manufacturers must continue their efforts to improve safety through new technologies and improved training.
Talk to a Truck Accident Attorney at Buzzell, Welsh & Hill
Handling truck wreck cases can be much more complicated than car wrecks not only due to extensive injuries and property damage but also because of the variety of parties involved- drivers, employers, trucking companies, and even maintenance companies. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, let Buzzell, Welsh & Hill’s truck accident attorneys help you get the compensation you deserve. We review your case for free and don’t get paid until you collect.
To schedule a free consultation, call us at (478) 217-2072 or complete our contact form.
Resources
1 http://www.cnbc.com/id/101875063
3 http://www.cnbc.com/id/101875579
